This isn't an original idea, but I think the far more likely scenario is a conference we've yet to hear of. Form an alliance with the best programs in the A10 and move forward inviting like minded programs from the MVC, MAAC, etc to make a small, less-than but similar Big East type of league. I think that's the most likely scenario and a slight step up from the current A10 structure.

What would be the step up here? The MAAC is filled with a bunch of schools that are similar to schools that tend to be in the lower half of the A10. And our peer, WSU and only consistently good school in the MVC, has just bolted the MVC. UD is where it needs to be right now in a world of limited options: in the A10 (assuming a minimum solid base of 4 - with the goal of more - top 75 RPI teams) with behind the scenes positioning for the next Big East opportunity where our administration views (and our fan base if we are honest) our peer institutions to reside. Football conferences or inferior alliances are not the answer.

__________________
"And the men who hold high places // Must be the ones who start // To mould a new reality // Closer to the Heart"
- N.Peart/Rush/Closer to the Heart

The reasons that I have read that prevent us from getting in:
1. Not a big enough market
2. Xavier admin hates us
3. DePaul hates us
4. GTown hates us
5. Travel
6. There is some super secret Jesuit handshake that we don't know

All of the above is bull, and we are misinformed. These are Catholic institutions and have to be reasonable. I realize that college sports are a business, we just have to come to an agreement that works for the current members. With all the connections, brain power, and cash that UD has we sure can make it happen.

Have you ever been involved with the church? Politics and religion mix quite well in the church hierarchy. Catholic institutions do not have to be reasonable if they choose not to.

Go study some Jesuit and Marianist history and compare the style and philosophy. Jesuit's tended (and dare I say still are) hard liners.

Xavier

XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

What would be the step up here? The MAAC is filled with a bunch of schools that are similar to schools that tend to be in the lower half of the A10. And our peer, WSU and only consistently good school in the MVC, has just bolted the MVC. UD is where it needs to be right now in a world of limited options: in the A10 (assuming a minimum solid base of 4 - with the goal of more - top 75 RPI teams) with behind the scenes positioning for the next Big East opportunity where our administration views (and our fan base if we are honest) our peer institutions to reside. Football conferences or inferior alliances are not the answer.

Whatever happened to Women's field hockey or was it Lacrosse? That was talked about by Dr Dan only a few years ago (no more than 3). There were comments that, that was a team sport which would have helped our 'cause' with the BE.

That talk vanished shortly after it was brought up. Seems dead now. So did the feedback from some BE members indicate that, "No that wouldn't help us either."

Since it's all about money...I don't see why the BE would seriously consider Dayton. Saint Louis, in a major city, another matter entirely.

Saint Louis

SAINT LOUIS
Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

This isn't an original idea, but I think the far more likely scenario is a conference we've yet to hear of. Form an alliance with the best programs in the A10 and move forward inviting like minded programs from the MVC, MAAC, etc to make a small, less-than but similar Big East type of league. I think that's the most likely scenario and a slight step up from the current A10 structure.

What school(s) in the MAAC would be worth forming a new conference with?

We need to find out the specfic barriers and make a deal. So many issues go away with us in the BE. UD needs to find a way.

It's a 2 way street. They have to want us to join. Right now their is absolutely no indication that they are looking to expand and want to invite us. Until then, all we can do is keep winning A10 titles in as many sports as possible to show a well rounded athletic department.

It's a 2 way street. They have to want us to join. Right now their is absolutely no indication that they are looking to expand and want to invite us. Until then, all we can do is keep winning A10 titles in as many sports as possible to show a well rounded athletic department.

I understand and agree that winning A10 titles is part of that.

We need to determine when there would be a potential opening, present our case.

It is also a two way street regarding recruits wanting to come here, yet we have 10 threads about that. If there was an answer for the BE or recruits or whatever, there would be no need for a thread.

What is UD doing to get us into the BE? Where did we fall short last time? What needs to happen moving forward?

The reasons that I have read that prevent us from getting in:
1. Not a big enough market
2. Xavier admin hates us
3. DePaul hates us
4. GTown hates us
5. Travel
6. There is some super secret Jesuit handshake that we don't know

All of the above is bull, and we are misinformed. These are Catholic institutions and have to be reasonable. I realize that college sports are a business, we just have to come to an agreement that works for the current members. With all the connections, brain power, and cash that UD has we sure can make it happen.

1. Correct
2. Incorrect - X is scared of UD. We have $500 million+ endowment and are preparing to run a capital campaign that could easily double that. X has an endowment of $140 million and their Athletic Dept. is treading water. They fear the longer term competition.
3. Not an issue
4. Not an issue
5. Not an issue
6. Correct, that is how Marquette dragged Creighton into the BE instead of UD getting in.
7. It's all about the $$$$$$$$$$. Sports is getting more expensive and the BE is only going to add teams that add $$$$$$$$$$ to the overall pot or add a unique visibility or long term return that they feel is worth it.

Xavier

XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

I was raised in another denomination if you will. So let me ask you of the Catholic faith, is there really a lot of politics in the church between Marianists & Jesuits? Can I presume like a college fraternity there may sometimes be an unhealthy competition- where a member of the frat will receive preferential treatment due to that alone? I had presumed being a private Catholic university would have checked off that box but I am sensing that is too naive...

UD brings in larger crowds and is the significantly larger TV market when you look specifically at NCAA basketball.

Actually that's not really true. The Dayton DMA has high ratings. But it is lower population. A 2.0 rating in a metro DMA of 500,000 brings in about 10,000 homes. A 0.5 rating in a DMA with 3,000,000 homes brings in 15,000 homes.

Dayton provides ratings, but not eyeballs. And advertisers pay for eyeballs.

Actually that's not really true. The Dayton DMA has high ratings. But it is lower population. A 2.0 rating in a metro DMA of 500,000 brings in about 10,000 homes. A 0.5 rating in a DMA with 3,000,000 homes brings in 15,000 homes.

Dayton provides ratings, but not eyeballs. And advertisers pay for eyeballs.

To be fair, though. If the games weren't buried on premium tier networks, I bet the ratings for UD's games would be even higher.

I'm sure xubrew can correct me but I would think if the Big East gets a pedestrian TV deal next go around a lot of those schools are gonna be in trouble

Xavier and Butler have it's own arena. Villanova and St Johns have smaller on campus arenas they use. I wonder how a Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence are gonna do renting out arenas. Georgetown and Seton Hall have attendance issues based on how their seasons are going. Renting an arena is an upfront cost and I'm sure all these folks are losing money on ancillary revenue

I would think there's a good chance UD is in better financial shape than many or most of these schools if TV money got on near equal footing

Xavier

XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

This may belong in another thread but what would you pay for UD games if PPV was the only way to get them?

I would probably pay 75 to 100 if it included all home and road games and they were archived so I could rewatch them easily when I get home from the games that I do go to in person. UD could include the streaming package for season ticket holders too.

The only stipulation is that to get me to pay, the video and production quality must be much better than the current A10/UD streaming system. I'm not going to pay for a bunch of students who zoom in on the ball handler and cut away from live action for a 5 second replay.

I'm sure xubrew can correct me but I would think if the Big East gets a pedestrian TV deal next go around a lot of those schools are gonna be in trouble

Xavier and Butler have it's own arena. Villanova and St Johns have smaller on campus arenas they use. I wonder how a Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence are gonna do renting out arenas. Georgetown and Seton Hall have attendance issues based on how their seasons are going. Renting an arena is an upfront cost and I'm sure all these folks are losing money on ancillary revenue

I would think there's a good chance UD is in better financial shape than many or most of these schools if TV money got on near equal footing

I'm sure Providence does pay to use the Dunkin' Donuts Center but I'm not sure how much. I do know though that the city wants PC playing there and rolls out the red carpet for them in many ways. A few years back they redid the concourse area of the arena and PC, including then head coach Tim Welsh, had their say in the redesign of it. Another words, for PC anyway, I think the city would figure out a way to make it work regardless of the loss of TV revenue for PC if that were to happen.

Xavier

XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

If you don't live in Dayton, the cost of the a season ticket does not make a difference. I pay $6 for a movie on demand all the time. I would have no problem paying double, triple that for the Flyers.

I don't live in Dayton either, but 500 total for a season would be around $16 a game which is too much imho. I could see $10 per game as the most I'd be willing to pay which would end up being around $300 for the season.

That's craziness... I can't believe people pay that for on-demand movies. I'd consider myself pretty well off and wouldn't do that.

You can get every game of the NHL/MLB/NFL for like $250.

I agree with you, but the schools are going to be trying to replace the money they won't be getting from the TV networks anymore so it's hard to tell how much it will end up being. I think $5 per game would be a reasonable figure, but I would only pay that much for UD games. I'm not going to pay that for some random game between teams I have no connection to.

That's craziness... I can't believe people pay that for on-demand movies. I'd consider myself pretty well off and wouldn't do that.

You can get every game of the NHL/MLB/NFL for like $250.

There are many people that want to watch all those games so the cost of broadcasting can be spread out. I just think that the networks are going to have a harder time justifying the expenditures on some games that don't draw large audiences.

You can't price it at more than a cable package, that's silly. Of course people on a Dayton basketball message board will pay more than the average person for it. But if you want lots of eyeballs, you're going to have to be reasonable for what you charge. Now if they got creative and packaged it with access to all A10 games, then there's enough volume to start raising the price.

Creighton is pretty lucky too. If Doug McDermott does't turn out to be a star they could have been looking at a 6 year NCAA tourney drought, Dad on the hot seat and possibly Big East chances in jeopardy

Creighton is pretty lucky too. If Doug McDermott does't turn out to be a star they could have been looking at a 6 year NCAA tourney drought, Dad on the hot seat and possibly Big East chances in jeopardy

Creighton is a weird animal. They've made the tourney fairly consistently of late, but they've never had much success.

Cable's day of reckoning has come. With all the major cable and satellite companies having reported their quarterly numbers, analyst firm MoffettNathanson put together a new cord-cutting report, and things are bad. Pay-TV providers lost an estimated 762,000 pay-TV subscribers over the first three months of this year—five times more than they lost during the same period last year. To make matters worse, Q1 has historically been a strong season for pay TV.

"For the better part of 15 years, pundits have predicted that cord-cutting was the future," an apocalyptic Craig Moffett wrote. "Well, the future has arrived."

As I wrote last week, Comcast was the only major provider to buck the trend, but judging by the way things look, that winning streak won't last.

Every time Butler gets another 4-star player, I think "that's a player we'd have got if we were in the BE."

The timing of their run with Stevens and the NBE forming is so surreal. From battling Wright State and Green Bay to a perennial Top 25 team, almost overnight.

I'm admittedly jealous.

Butler's transformation goes back before Stevens. I'm also jealous. From Matta to Lichliter, to Sevens to Holtzman. They've made great coaching decisions often keeping it within the Butler program. There is not doubt the small college in Indy has made a name for itself. This year Holztman is noted to have gotten the best recruiting class ever at Butler. There is no doubt in my mind the Big East has helped. Their 2017 class is ranked as high at 11th.

What more is there to say, UD has recently been valued as the most valuable program vs. BE teams by WSJ & Forbes, UD R&D $$ #3 amongst Catholic Univ (after ND & Georgetown), our geographic blue print is dead on. The below is just some benchmarks of how we compare vs BE and our "competition". Perhaps CAG can get us over the top in time for the next expansion. I think SLU is the competition.

XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

St Bonaventure

SAINT BONAVENTURE
Founded in 1858, St. Bonaventure University is a liberal arts college located on 500 acres in southwestern New York state. SBU offers 43 undergraduate majors, the most popular of which are elementary education, journalism, psychology, accounting, marketing, finance, and management. Total undergraduate enrollment is 2,000. Virtually all freshmen and most undergraduates live on campus. A founding member of the A10 Conference. Famous athletes include Bob Lanier. Historical nickname was the Brown Indians, but later changed to the Bonnies. Their mascot is a wolf.

Saint Louis

SAINT LOUIS
Saint Louis University is a Jesuit, Catholic university ranked among the top research institutions in the nation. The University fosters the intellectual and character development of more than 12,700 students. Founded in 1818, it is the oldest university west of the Mississippi and the second oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Located in St. Louis, MO, and just five minutes from the Gateway Arch, SLU offers 85 undergraduate programs and over 50 graduate study tracks. Over 99% of the SLU faculty hold the highest degree in their respective fields. Fellow member of the A10 Conference. Nickname is the Billikens, but also commonly known as "Sloo", the phonetic pronunciation of the school's initials. Athletic claims to fame include multiple national titles in men's soccer and men's basketball star Larry Hughes.

Is there any thought that the Big East expands... so they can move to a 20 game conference schedule (like the P5 conferences)?

Going to a 20 game round robin schedule would be 11 teams. That is difficult because 1 team is not playing every T/W and S/S. It becomes even more difficult with the power 5 conferences playing 20 conference games because these teams won't have open dates during conference play like they may have had in previous seasons. I think he only workable solution is 12 teams but that takes the BE away from a true round robin which, from what I hear, is very desirable for the teams in the BE.

Bumping this thread. With the talk of 20 game conference seasons, UD needs to move to the best conference possible.

UD needs to focus on what it can control right now and worry about possibly switching conferences when the opportunity happens. I am one that would love for us to get into the BE, but that won't be something that we control.

UD needs to focus on what it can control right now and worry about possibly switching conferences when the opportunity happens. I am one that would love for us to get into the BE, but that won't be something that we control.

Of course your right- but this is the most intriguing of off-season discussions. I find the A10 an awesome contingency plan as I think we can remain relevant there, with regular NCAAT appearances. But schools want to be affiliated with their peers, and that is not the A10 its the BE (as my chart above indicates). I think we can flourish there, get the athletes we'd need and elevate our brand beyond our current expectations. Our OOC opponents would line up to play us, our team value would remain strong, and we'd not again worry about our conference's future.

But I get that this today is a moot point, and fear not that I'll be harping on this. But you'd have to admit it would be fun to kick X's arse more than occasionally.

As other conferences expand to a 20 game schedule, the big East will only have a few options. Play low conference schools for noncon, play conferences like the A10 in the London for better RPI, or go to a 20 game conference schedule too. If they go to 20 games, they will need to expand by 1 team. So with the push for 20 games, I believe this thread may be relevant.

As other conferences expand to a 20 game schedule, the big East will only have a few options. Play low conference schools for noncon, play conferences like the A10 in the London for better RPI, or go to a 20 game conference schedule too. If they go to 20 games, they will need to expand by 1 team. So with the push for 20 games, I believe this thread may be relevant.

Correct, this was the point I was trying to make.
The BE may not need (a team like) UD now, but maybe soon.
UD may not need the Big East as the A10 is decent, but would welcome it.

There is no interest from Big East member schools nor leadership for expansion. Pretty sure its going to take UConn moving their football back to FCS to change the current configuration

BU that is never going to happen. UConn has drawn a line in the sand and they are committed to FBS football. This is nothing but a wet dream of BE fans. And have you watched UConn basketball lately? Jim Calhoun is not walking back through that door.

UConn has sunk too much money into football to ever downgrade and the chance of another realignment leaves with the chance of getting into the ACC

The other thing to consider is the Big East tourney at MSG. The ACC/B10 want to get into MSG every couple of years. Big East tourney ticket sales aren't what they were. Dayton travels and the fact Flyer fans would probably buy more than some of the current members could help

Dayton right now isn't on their radar. If Dayton keeps it's NCAA tourney streak going and ends with 9 to 10 straight years in the tourney with some a run or two it's possible things look different as Fox TV deal gets closer to expiring

As other conferences expand to a 20 game schedule, the big East will only have a few options. Play low conference schools for noncon, play conferences like the A10 in the London for better RPI, or go to a 20 game conference schedule too. If they go to 20 games, they will need to expand by 1 team. So with the push for 20 games, I believe this thread may be relevant.

Back to my previous post, how do you schedule with one team (rotating) getting a night off twice per week during conference play? This would make the conference season 11 weeks long. With the week off during Christmas, the conference schedule would have to start December 10th (this season). Three games over Thanksgiving for a holiday tournament. That means 7 or 8 games in three weeks on either side of Thanksgiving and start of conference play. I suppose 1 could be played between Christmas and New Years.

Other conferences that have an even number of teams can fit 20 games in 10 weeks.

I'd love for the BE to go to 11 teams and include UD as the final team but what I'm outlining above is a real problem from a scheduling perspective.

Back to my previous post, how do you schedule with one team (rotating) getting a night off twice per week during conference play? This would make the conference season 11 weeks long. With the week off during Christmas, the conference schedule would have to start December 10th (this season). Three games over Thanksgiving for a holiday tournament. That means 7 or 8 games in three weeks on either side of Thanksgiving and start of conference play. I suppose 1 could be played between Christmas and New Years.

Other conferences that have an even number of teams can fit 20 games in 10 weeks.

I'd love for the BE to go to 11 teams and include UD as the final team but what I'm outlining above is a real problem from a scheduling perspective.

I'd love for UD to get in the BE just to **** off those fans that are arrogant a-holes.Posted via Mobile Device

UD is a perfect institutional fit for the Big East, and in fact, is academically and athletically superior to most Big East schools. If, all other things being equal, a conference of large, national Catholic universities were to be built from scratch in the midwest/eastern part of the United States, Dayton would be a no-brainer. Unfortunately, the New Big East was formed with backroom political deals, mediocre institutions being grandfathered-in, and short-term basketball success clouding the judgement of those who put the league together. If this five year run for the Flyers had happened simply a half-decade earlier, we'd be part of the league. Instead we're stuck in a league with, at best, one or two pseudo-rivals and many institutions that have almost nothing in common with us.

If in the long-term we truly believe that a Big East invite is not coming, we need to find an alternative to the A-10. From what I can tell, these would be the best options:

1) Lobby for an invite as an all-sports (except football) member of the AAC. This may be a somewhat lateral move for basketball, but I think that it is an overall institutional upgrade and worth exploring.

2) Take the lead on forming a new conference with the best/most similar institutions from the A-10.

Back to my previous post, how do you schedule with one team (rotating) getting a night off twice per week during conference play? This would make the conference season 11 weeks long. With the week off during Christmas, the conference schedule would have to start December 10th (this season). Three games over Thanksgiving for a holiday tournament. That means 7 or 8 games in three weeks on either side of Thanksgiving and start of conference play. I suppose 1 could be played between Christmas and New Years.

Other conferences that have an even number of teams can fit 20 games in 10 weeks.

I'd love for the BE to go to 11 teams and include UD as the final team but what I'm outlining above is a real problem from a scheduling perspective.

They can't go to 20 conference games with ten teams. So, however they expand, they will need to IF they want to go to 20.

Wouldnt it be great to:
Play in a non-con tourney and not worry that this is our opportunity to get a big W?
Be in a conference where every third or fourth game is vs a ranked opponent?
Have a built in SOS?
Have our games more often shown on ESPN (and others) highlights?

I for one, could not give a _ _ _ _ less about being in the BE. I am not at all convinced that it improves our standing with respect to the Big Dance year in and year out. Just ask DePaul and St. John’s.

Like so many, I once hoped desperately for an invite to the BE, but have not spent 5 minutes thinking about it in the last couple of years. When I see this thread still meriting attention from some of the Flyer Faithful, I find it rather pathetic. Makes us look like X wannabes. Let’s just become The Big Dog in the A10, and everything else, and I mean everything, will take care of itself.

Flyer Faithful

FLYER FAITHFUL
Best college basketball fans in the country. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and loyal. Help to create one of the toughest home courts in the nation at UD Arena. Over 12,000 fans a game put the Flyers in the Top-30 nationally in attendance. Fan spirit and support growing to other UD sports and athletic programs as well.

I for one, could not give a _ _ _ _ less about being in the BE. I am not at all convinced that it improves our standing with respect to the Big Dance year in and year out. Just ask DePaul and St. John’s.

Like so many, I once hoped desperately for an invite to the BE, but have not spent 5 minutes thinking about it in the last couple of years. When I see this thread still meriting attention from some of the Flyer Faithful, I find it rather pathetic. Makes us look like X wannabes. Let’s just become The Big Dog in the A10, and everything else, and I mean everything, will take care of itself.

Agree and I wish that this thread was deleted. It is psychologically damaging. Let’s achieve success in the conference that we are in and not obsess with another conference. As an announcer of tonight’s game said, an A10 team could win it all. Let’s just aim to win the A10.

I for one, could not give a _ _ _ _ less about being in the BE. I am not at all convinced that it improves our standing with respect to the Big Dance year in and year out. Just ask DePaul and St. John’s.

Like so many, I once hoped desperately for an invite to the BE, but have not spent 5 minutes thinking about it in the last couple of years. When I see this thread still meriting attention from some of the Flyer Faithful, I find it rather pathetic. Makes us look like X wannabes. Let’s just become The Big Dog in the A10, and everything else, and I mean everything, will take care of itself.

Agree and I wish that this thread was deleted. It is psychologically damaging. Let’s achieve success in the conference that we are in and not obsess with another conference. As an announcer of tonight’s game said, an A10 team could win it all. Let’s just aim to win the A10.

Your opinion. I am not in your house, but I am guessing (hoping) that you were not forced to view or comment on this thread. Please let us know if you are in danger in any way. We are here for you.

Wouldnt it be great to:
Play in a non-con tourney and not worry that this is our opportunity to get a big W?
Be in a conference where every third or fourth game is vs a ranked opponent?
Have a built in SOS?
Have our games more often shown on ESPN (and others) highlights?

Coffeecan, would one and done in the NCAA Tournament give you a better feeling if UD was a member of another conference, versus one and done as an member of the A10?

I ask because I cannot remember the last time an NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME was decided by either schools conference afiliation. If they were decided by conference afiliation, there would be no madness in March. As Duke beating Kansas wouldn't really be that maddening.

I am sorry folks, but many in this fan base are suffering from Holy Big East Psychosis. Try not to despie your own conference. The A10 has aided UD in getting four NCAA tournament bids in a row. That's good news, and there is zero bad news associated with that. At some point, and we have long since past that point, it gets super degrading to keep mocking the A10...as that's exactly what it amounts to.

Coffeecan, would one and done in the NCAA Tournament give you a better feeling if UD was a member of another conference, versus one and done as an member of the A10?

I ask because I cannot remember the last time an NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME was decided by either schools conference afiliation. If they were decided by conference afiliation, there would be no madness in March. As Duke beating Kansas wouldn't really be that maddening.

I am sorry folks, but many in this fan base are suffering from Holy Big East Psychosis. Try not to despie your own conference. The A10 has aided UD in getting four NCAA tournament bids in a row. That's good news, and there is zero bad news associated with that. At some point, and we have long since past that point, it gets super degrading to keep mocking the A10...as that's exactly what it amounts to.

Umm, you don't think that being in the Big East would bring better recruits? Being in the Big East would mean better talent which means better chance at get at large bids and NCAA tournament wins.

Ummm, in a comparritive sense, absolutely not. Call it the history of Dayton at Xavier theory.

I would strongly argue that UD has a much greater comparative advantage, in virtually all areas of college basketball, to its current conference foes, than it would to a the member schools of the current Big East. And, no, Dayton's chances of winning an NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME, do not increase specifically by entering the Big East.

Xavier

XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

Ok, let me rephrase, since you have misinterpreted my comment. I have spent 5 minutes thinking about it, but not 5 minutes worrying about it. And I comment because I find the incessant whining about it, as I said before, pathetic, and as a UD fan, embarrassing.

Ummm, in a comparritive sense, absolutely not. Call it the history of Dayton at Xavier theory.

I would strongly argue that UD has a much greater comparative advantage, in virtually all areas of college basketball, to its current conference foes, than it would to a the member schools of the current Big East. And, no, Dayton's chances of winning an NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME, do not increase specifically by entering the Big East.

Maybe not the year they enter, but as they get to recruit as a Big East member, I don't see how it doesn't.

Better players go to better conferences with better exposure and better competition. Better conferences get preferential treatment by the NCAA committee. Better conferences don't get 7 seeds while paired up with a 10 seeds from a comparable conference who rates out to a 3 or 4 seed. Better conferences will be the benefactor more and more as less and less at large teams are chosen from lesser conferences.

Here's one for you. Every time that Xavier moved up in conference it has benefited them. Every time that UD moved into that same conference it has benefited us. It's obvious that once again Xavier benefited by moving up once again. Why would the same not be true for us this time?

Xavier

XAVIER MUSKETEERS
Dayton's biggest rival dating back to the early 1900s. Founded in 1831, Xavier University is a Jesuit, Catholic university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its three colleges offer 78 undergraduate majors, 43 minors and 11 graduate programs to 6,646 total students, including 3,961 undergraduates. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and one of 28 Jesuit colleges and universities nationwide. Xavier's nickname is the Musketeers and are fellow A10 Conference members.

I for one, could not give a _ _ _ _ less about being in the BE. I am not at all convinced that it improves our standing with respect to the Big Dance year in and year out. Just ask DePaul and St. John’s.

Like so many, I once hoped desperately for an invite to the BE, but have not spent 5 minutes thinking about it in the last couple of years. When I see this thread still meriting attention from some of the Flyer Faithful, I find it rather pathetic. Makes us look like X wannabes. Let’s just become The Big Dog in the A10, and everything else, and I mean everything, will take care of itself.

Wait what? Doesn't give us a better chance to make the tourney and now we're being compared to DePaul? Get outta here

Umm, you don't think that being in the Big East would bring better recruits? Being in the Big East would mean better talent which means better chance at get at large bids and NCAA tournament wins.

Not to say that this wouldn't occur...but it is far from a guarantee.

What we are guaranteed with now....

If we do well in A10 play we get in the tournament. Once you get in the tourney...all bets are off and the best/luckiest teams win.

If UD does what UD should and can do on a consistent basis under AG...the NCAA appearances aren't the issue. The only issue will be satisfying the ego of some fans that want certain brand names coming into UD Arena and certain rivalries coming back.

Don't get me wrong...that would be fun and exciting. But there is absolutely NO guarantee that inclusion to the BE gets the UD program any more success or advancement towards Final Fours, etc...

I don't discount that some of what you say can happen. But to say it as fact...we may just sink back and be a middling BE team too...that is a real possibility as well.

Wait what? Doesn't give us a better chance to make the tourney and now we're being compared to DePaul? Get outta here

Ok, DePaul is an exaggeration, but which BE schools are you confident we would finish ahead of in most seasons? X, Butler, Villanova, Creighton, Georgetown, Providence? How about Marquette or Seton Hall? Just being in and finishing 6th or 7th is not going to be a boost in most respects. Would facing a more rigorous schedule help come tourney time? I suppose it would. But, you have to get in the Dance for it to matter.

I am of the thought that I want to be in on a regular basis, and be in a position to make the occasional run, and I think the A10 serves us better in that regard. We just made the tourney 4 consecutive years for the first time in school history. Were we in a better spot before X and Butler departed the A10 and our conference had a better profile? I know it’s a small sample to evaluate, but, I don’t think so.

My feeling is that all things considered, if we were in the BE, there is a much greater chance we resemble St. John’s as opposed to X. I think we should be careful what we wish for.

I think we’d do well in the BE. They are our peer universities in every sense. Our recruiting would improve. Period. The A-10 has been good for us and is a great back-up plan. We need not disrespect them or take them for granted. But they are not our peers generally in terms of MBB tradition, facilities, $$, recruiting, and academics (with the odd exception).